Noble Indy puts in easy work for Kentucky Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Friday was a busy morning for trainer Todd Pletcher at his winter home at the Palm Beach Downs training center, starting just before dawn with the first of three full sets of workers that included one of his three Kentucky Derby hopefuls, Louisiana Derby winner Noble Indy.

Working in company with stablemate Ivy Bell, the winner of the Grade 2 Inside Information here in her last start, Noble Indy breezed an easy half-mile in 26.50 and 50.41 seconds over a deep and tiring track. Noble Indy was put through his paces without the blinkers he wears when he races.

“I thought it was good for his first work back. I was happy,” Pletcher said as the last of his approximately 30 workers headed back to the barn. “It was just a maintenance-type work to get things started. We’ll put him in blinkers when we get a little more serious in his next few works.”

Noble Indy likely will work again next Friday at Palm Beach Downs along with Florida Derby winner Audible. Magnum Moon, Pletcher’s third Derby prospect stabled at Palm Beach Downs, was scheduled to breeze Saturday before shipping for the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby the following Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

Pletcher said he plans to keep horses stabled at Palm Beach Downs year round this season. He won the spring title at Gulfstream Park in 2017 and then shipped his local contingent north for the summer.

“We stayed longer than normal a year ago, and it seemed to work out pretty well,” said Pletcher. “This year, we felt rather than staying until the middle of June and coming back in the middle of September, it made more sense to keep these horses here rather than to go back to Monmouth Park. The horses seem to be running pretty well shipping from Palm Beach to Gulfstream, and we were able to break some maidens here and have those horses move forward to Saratoga. The 2-year-old program is a good one here, and maiden races are plentiful.”

Pletcher said he shipped small contingents to New York and Keeneland on Wednesday, but still has about 100 stabled at Palm Beach Downs.

“We’ll send a few more up north next week,” said Pletcher. “I’m trying to get as much training done here as we can, get our final breezes in before we ship because of the weather.”

Pletcher likely will have the second choice in Sunday’s $40,000 main event, a five-furlong turf dash for Florida-bred fillies and mares to be decided under first-level optional-claiming conditions. He will send out Treasure for Gold under jockey Emisael Jaramillo. Treasure for Gold, a daughter of Treasure Beach, won her career debut here in July and did not run again until finishing third in the Melody of Colors overnight stakes here on Feb. 25.

“She’s a filly I’d really like to stretch out, but she’s ready to run, and I was concerned if I passed this race, the next one might not fill,” said Pletcher. “We were happy she finished third and got some black type running against some nice fillies the last time, and I thought she’d improve herself coming off that race.”

Treasure for Gold will have to beat Meant Tobe Mine, who returned quick dividends off the claim for owner Michael Dubb and trainer Jason Servis when exploding to a 7 1/4-length victory under similar conditions March 18.